Our monthly media contest provided us with a strong finish to what has again been a challenging year. And we’re particularly pleased to present the unbridled good cheer evident in the winning entry pictured above. This was submitted by Research Associate Rebecca Finnigan, serving as Compliance Archivist at Zion National Park. Here’s what she has to say about this photo: “No one tells you how exciting the mere sight of a tree will be when you move to the desert. Coming from New England, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of my new home. And, while Southwest Utah turned out to be even more breathtakingly beautiful than I had ever imagined with its high plateaus and rolling canyons, something was definitely missing. And that something was trees. So when I came across some while hiking the overlook trail in Kolob Canyons, I quite literally jumped for joy.”
We hope you enjoy this and the other submissions below. Special thanks to Alissa Gardner, Research Associate Program Coordinator at GBI’s Southern Office, who continues doing a superb job managing the contest.




